If I Should Fall
by blink182fan
Summary: Some unexpected surprises at work...then later on in the evening, the cat gets out of the bag when someone finds out about their "secret" relationship!
1. One Step Closer

"If I Should Fall"- an ER fanfic featuring my favorite character,   
Robert Romano!!!! :)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of the ER character (unfortunately), NBC   
does. So, I think you know the rest. This is just a story. Please don't  
sue me, because I don't have anything that you want.  
  
Summary: Death/Angst/Suicide  
  
Author's Note: Be careful. It's quite depressing.... This is how I   
portrayed Robert's childhood....  
  
CHAPTER 1: ONE STEP CLOSER  
________________________________________  
  
"No, Daddy! Please don't do that to Mommy! Leave her alone!" pleaded   
little Robbie, tugging at his fathers arms. Before Robbie could say   
anything else, a strong blow to the jaw sent him flying into the wall   
behind him. Sitting there, he began to cry. Not because his jaw hurt,   
but because he could hear Mommy crying as Daddy hit her. Daddy would   
come home drunk, yelling at Mommy as he stumbled through the door. And   
everytime he tried to protect Mommy, Daddy beat him too. Robbie was   
used to it. But, sometimes Daddy would beat him for no reason. But what  
Robbie hated most, was trying to hide the bruises and cuts from the   
teachers at school. He never had to worry about what the other kids   
would say. Daddy never let him play with them anyway. He told him that   
he wasn't good enough to play with the kids his age. So, Robbie taught   
himself how to keep entertained with the few toys he had. Interupting   
his thoughts, his father grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up so   
that he was standing. Little Robbie began to brace himself, as he   
assumed that his father was going to beat him again. Instead, his   
father yelled at him, slurring his words, "Go get your ass in the damn   
car, and don't say a fucking word until I get there!" Robbie knew damn   
well not to contradict what his father had just told him, so he grabbed  
his winter coat and went out the door to the car. Soon, both his mother  
and father were heading toward the car. He could see Mommy crying. One   
of her eyes was swollen shut, and her face was purple and blue. There   
was blood running from a cut on her face. She and Dad got into the car,  
with Dad complaining the whole way. Robbie wondered where they were   
going this late at night. It was way after dark, and the streets were   
icy as the snow fell. Robbie sat there, not saying a word as his father  
talked about wasting his life and about how his "stupid" family was   
too much of a burden. Daddy continued to keep driving, even when they   
had gone outside city limits into the country. Daddy was swerving in   
and out of the lanes as Mommy pleaded with him to stop. The arguing got  
worse as the car swerved around the lanes, the snow blowing around the   
car. Suddenly the lights from an oncoming truck shined brightly right   
in front of them. Mommy screamed as Daddy tried frantically to swerve   
out of the way. But it was too late, the truck smashed into the front   
of their car. That's all that Robbie remembered before drifting out of   
conciousness.  
___________________________________________  
Robert Romano woke up, startled. Heart pounding, cold sweat, afraid.   
This was beginning to be a trend. Every night, it was the same   
nightmare that came back to haunt him. The car wreck had happened about  
this time of the year. As as each year since the accident passed, the   
nightmares continued to plague him. Mom and Dad had died in that car   
wreck. Dad had deserved too. The way that he beat Mom and him, he   
deserved to die. Robert had no way of knowing that child abuse was   
illegal, and he had put up with it since he could remember. But Mom on   
the other hand, did not deserve to die. He remembered how they rushed   
him to the hospital, and told him that neither his Mom nor his Dad had   
survived the accident. And thus began the 10 years of foster care. He   
had been 8 when the accident happened, and for the next ten years, he   
was jostled between foster care families. And as soon as he turned 18,   
he hit the ground running. Went to college. Finished med school. Did   
internship and fellowship. Moved to Chicago. Worked at County, and   
eventually became Chief of Staff. He was unable to save his parents'   
lives, but by God, he would dedicate his life to saving others. And he   
did. He had saved many lives. But he couldn't hide the fact that work   
sucked. He never interacted with his co-workers. As much as he would   
never admit it, he would give anything to hang out with the guys, drink  
beer, and talk B.S. about work. And now because of his shitty attitude,  
none of the women wanted anything to do with him. Relationships with   
Elizabeth, Kerry, Chen, Finch, Lucy, Susan, and pretty much any other   
woman in the department: ruined. No one to talk to at work. No one to   
talk to at home. No one to come home to. No family. No friends. Nothing  
He had spent almost all of his life like this. And he was tired of it.  
Nobody cared about him. People could care less about him. And Robert   
was tired of being treated like that. He would show them. He was sick   
of this place. Sick of the world. He was sick of everything. Time to   
end it all. He already had notes written out for everyone at work, and   
he would put the plan into action right before his shift ended. He   
painstakingly left notes around the house. He knew long after he was   
gone, they'd come here, to his house, and they'd find the notes. Robert  
snickered, putting his best pair of Dockers on. His favorite dark blue   
shirt. His coat. His tie. His favorite shoes. He double checked the   
house to make sure everything was set up. Before grabbing his briefcase  
, he bent down to pet Gretel one last time. "Goodbye Gretel. Thanks   
for nothing all these years.", he said before picking up his briefcase,  
taking one last glance at his house, and then going out the door.  
  
______________________________________________  
Dr. Elizabeth Corday sat at her desk, frantically trying to catch up on  
post-op labs and dictations. Work had been a living hell for the past   
week, and she was barely making it through this shift as it is. She   
heard a soft knock. "Come in!" she said, still engulfed in her work.   
She looked up to see Kerry Weaver standing in front of her. "Hey Kerry,  
what can I do for you?" Elizabeth said. "Actually, I wanted to talk to   
you about something." Kerry said, looking slightly uncomfortable as   
she closed the door. "It's about Robert." Kerry said. "Oh." Elizabeth   
said as she rolled her eyes. "Listen, Kerry, whatever he said, just   
ignore it. You know that Robert enjoys tormenting other people." "No,   
it's not that. It's actually the exact opposite. Have you noticed his  
attitude lately? He seems depressed. He's losing interest in things   
that once interested him. His work is slipping and overall he's not   
acting like himself. Maybe it's just me, but I'm worried." kerry said.  
"Kerry, I think it is just you. Yes, I have noticed quite the charater   
change, but nothing that would suggest that something was wrong. I'm   
sure it's nothing, Kerry. But if there any any extreme changes, I'll   
come talk to you." "Okay, thanks for your time, Elizabeth." Kerry said   
before exiting Elizabeth's office. Elizabeth just shook her head and   
went back to finishing her paperwork.  
___________________________________________  
Work sucks, Robert thought to himself. Today had been just like every   
other day, only seemingly worse. He'd assisted on a bypass surgery,   
done an exploratory, an appendectomy, and been down to the ER many   
different times for consults. While he'd been down there, he'd managed   
to piss almost everybody off, he smirked as he took another big swig of  
vodka. Yes, he was aware that he was still on call and that he was   
drinking, but frankly he didn't give a shit. The world didn't give a   
shit about him, so why should he? He'd been sitting in his office for   
the past 3 hours, drinking and finishing up paperwork. In a drunken   
stupor, he stumbled down the hall. He could finally put his plan into   
action. He stumbled down the hall toward the elevator. Once aboard the   
empty elevator, it took him a moment to figure out which button to   
press. He was really drunk, and double vision had set in. He knew that   
once all of the alcohol set into his bloodstream, his BAL would be near  
the fatal limit. But the higher it was, the better his plan would work.  
He got off the elevator and stepped into the ER. He immediately bumped   
into Kerry Weaver. "What can I do for you, Robert?" Kerry asked,   
sarcastically. "Actually nothing. I need to get some morphine from the   
drug cabinet. We ran out of it upstairs." Robert said, lying through   
his teeth. "Okay, let me know if you need anything else. I'll be in   
Curtain Area 1 finishing up charts if you need me." Kerry said, walking  
away. Robert breathed a sigh of relief as he headed toward the enclosed  
area where the ER kept a small supply of drugs. Making sure nobody was   
around, he pulled out a syringe and needle, that he had snuck from the   
OR, out of his lab coat. He looked up to the drug counter, and after a   
minute found what he was looking for. He found 100 mg of morphine, 200  
of solumedrol, and 50 of demerol. All that combined, with the alcohol,  
would certainly do the trick. He took the "note" he had written and   
began injecting the drugs into the vein in his wrist. It took 5 minutes  
for the drugs to enter his bloodstream, and cause cardiac arrest. As he  
fell to the ground, he hit his head and split it wide open on the door.  
He lay there, where nobody could see him, bleeding, unconcious, not   
breathing, and virtually dead to the world around him....  
____________________________________________  
It had been almost 10 minutes since Kerry had last talked to Robert. He  
had been unusually nice, which had never happened. She knew something   
was wrong, because whenever he came down to the ER, he always verbally   
harrassed her workers. She had heard nothing since she talked to him   
last. She figured she'd go and check on him, make sure everything was  
okay. As she walked down the corridor to the drug cabinent, she couldn't  
help but feel this feeling of dread in the bottom of her stomach. As   
she looked down the hallway, she saw a syringe, needle, and three   
different containers strewn across the hall. When she turned to walk   
into drug cabinent, she screamed when she found the crumpled body lying  
on the floor.........  
______________________________________________  
Elizabeth Corday was sitting at her desk, having just finished catching  
up on her work. She could finally go home. Her shift had been busy and   
she was looking forward to going home, playing with Ella, and just not  
having to worry about work for awhile. Shirley opened the door to   
Elizabeth's office just a tad, and said "They need a surgical consult   
in Trauma 1 down in the ER. They said it's important." she said before   
dissappearing. Elizabeth groaned, since her shift was technically over.  
But I guess one consult wouldn't hurt, so she grudgingly got up and   
walked down to the ER. Once she was there, she could hear the shock of   
the electrical paddles in the nearby trauma room. Whoever was in there   
was in definite cardiac arrest. When Elizabeth walked in the trauma   
room, she gasped. The person that was in cardiac arrest, that was   
virtually dead, was Robert Romano.  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
  
So, what did you think? Should I continue with this story? PLEASE READ  
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for everything! :) 


	2. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 2: "The Truth Comes Out"  
  
Author's Note: Elizabeth NEVER married Mark. Ella, therefore, does not exist. Mark still works in the ER, but he and Elizabeth never had a relationship or got married...  
___________________________________________________________  
  
Elizabeth stood in front of the trauma room in shock. It was Robert lying there. She assumed it was just another patient that she would brush off as soon as she returned home. But this was different. It was Robert. She had no idea what had even happened to him, but the shock of it all hit her so hard that it was hard to even comprehend that it was him lying there. As much as she, Kerry, and pretty much the whole staff despised him, she could see that everyone in that trauma room was trying their best. She told a nurse that walked by to call Dr. Benton for the consult. She couldn't bear to go in there. She just stood there, watching them shock him over and over. Soon she heard footsteps approaching her, and then someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall man looking down at her.  
  
"Hi. My name is Sergeant Muller from the Chicago Police Department. We were wondering if we could ask you some questions."  
  
"Sure. Go ahead."  
  
"Okay, Dr. Corday, has Dr. Romano been showing any dramatic attitude changes lately?"  
  
"Well, he's been much more friendly in the past few days, but nothing that would suggest anything."  
  
"Okay. Did he ever talk about giving his things away, or saying goodbye to anyone?"  
  
"No, he said nothing of the sort. He went about his job like he usually would, and we thought nothing of it. Nobody really knows much about Robert's personal life, and no one cares to. We let him go about his business as he pleases, no questions asked. But, if I may ask, what are you getting at?"  
  
"Well, it isn't for certain, but we just needed to ask you a few questions about Robert's attitude. Everything else is still under investigation."  
  
"Oh, bullshit! I know that your lying to me! Tell me exactly why you are here and why you are asking me all these questions about his behavior, right now!!!!!" Elizabeth exclaimed in a huff.  
  
"Alright. But just don't say that I didn't warn you. When we responded to the call, we found a note on the floor where Robert had been found. It appears that he injected himself with 3 different drugs. Between the note and the overdose, it would be suggested that he was trying to commit suicide."  
  
Suicide. The word rang in Elizabeth's ears. Why would Robert do such a thing? Why? Why? Why? This was TOO much to hear. She wasn't comprehending this. This wasn't happening. Never before had she felt so strongly for Robert Romano. The man that everybody loved to hate, the man that had sexually discriminated her and all the other women on the staff, the reason why she sometimes hated to go to work. She slowly came to the realization that she had been so busy hating him for no apparent reason, that she had never really taken the time to ask him why he acted this way. Infact nobody on the staff had ever asked him. They all assumed that he was such a terrible guy that they never bothered to get to know him any further. The tears started streaming down her cheeks, as this horrible realization came to her.  
  
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday, I have to take a phone call. I'll be right back." Sergeant Muller said.  
  
After he excused himself, Elizabeth turned to look into the Trauma room where he lay. They had finally gotten a rythmn back. Kerry layed the paddles back on the crash cart, looking up to meet Elizabeth's eyes. Kerry looked tired as hell, and yet the look of sheer horror and shock was apparent in her face. Kerry started to walk out the trauma room door, giving the nurses orders on her way out.  
  
"How's he...will he...?" Elizabeth stuttered out.  
  
"We got a rythmn back. It's weak, but it's there. His heart is extremely weak. All the narcotics really hit him. Not only that but he's got a very serious case of Alcohol Poisoning. His BAL is potentially fatal." Kerry said in a daze.  
  
"Do you think he'll.......pull through?" Elizabeth said, wanting a second opinion, knowing the diagnosis already.  
  
Tears stung Kerry's face. "I don't see him making it...through the....night...." Kerry said, stiffling back sobs.  
  
Elizabeth nodded as Kerry acknowledged her before disappearing back into the Trauma room.   
  
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday? Um, could I talk to you in the lounge for a moment?" Sergeant Muller said, as he reappeared in front of her.  
  
Elizabeth nodded, following him down the hall to the lounge. As she passed the admit desk, she saw the looks on the faces of everyone. The looks were mixes of sympathy, guilt, and shock. Elizabeth once again had to contain herself from breaking down. Entering the lounge, she and Sergeant Muller sat down.   
  
"What I'm about to tell you may not be the best news. Are you sure you can handle this right now?" Sergeant Muller asked.  
  
"Yes, please tell me everything."  
  
Sergeant Muller sighed before beginning. " Alright, after we got the apparent reasoning that it was an attempted suicide, we sent marked units over to his house. There's where it was apparent that this is indeed a suicide attempt. There are notes left all over the house. His will was lying out on the kitchen table when we got there. There are notes for each one of the staff members lying around his house too. All of his things had been packed into boxes. Apparently he had gone to some extent to attempt this. I'm sorry."  
  
The fact that Robert had actually planned this out horrified Elizabeth. Why would he do such a terrible thing? What would drive a skilled, if not brilliant, surgeon to something like this?   
  
"Are you okay, Dr. Corday?" Sergeant Muller asked.  
  
"Yea. I just need time to digest this. Thanks for filling me in on the details."  
  
"No problem. If you don't mind, I need to get back to the crime scene." He said before getting up and walking out the door, leaving Elizabeth to sort her emotions out.  
  
Everything was so confusing. Why had he done this? What would drive him to this?   
  
She got up and walked down the hall. She stood infront of the trauma room doors, not exactly remembering how she got there. She walked in, while the nurses were giving him fluids and carrying out duties that had been assigned by Dr. Weaver. At that moment, Dr. Weaver was out talking to Sergeant Muller in the hallway. That left her virtually along with Robert for a minute. She pulled up a chair, and sat down next to him. She took his hand in hers. He felt so warm. But his face was pale, he looked extremely sick. Of course he looks sick, she thought. He's going to die. Tears streamed down her face, despite efforts to hold them back. Not sure if he could hear her, she began to whisper a prayer. He had to make it through the night. She couldn't let him go like this. Not now...  
  
Elizabeth sat, holding his hand, tears streaming down her face, listening to the steady beep of the monitor. 


	3. Go Away

Disclaimer: I DON'T own anything!!! (If only I owned Paul McCrane or   
Goran Vsinjic!!!) NBC owns the rights, so please don't sue me! I'm too  
poor and I don't have anything you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
Author's note: I can't believe that some people are actually still   
reading this! :) Either way, I hope you like it, so far. I have the   
plotline worked out, and you can expect atleast another 3 chapters out   
of this!!!! Hope you enjoy! and thanks for reading this! Please R and   
R!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Dedication: This if for the group over at the ER forums at TWoP. I love  
you guys!!!!!!!  
__________________________________________________________________  
Elizabeth walked through the County ER doors once again, having been there just 12 hours before. Robert had been in a coma for 3 and 1/2 days, and was showing no signs of anything. He was breathing on his own, spontaniously, and the CT-scan had showed that his brain was intact, but he seemed to be in a deep, deep coma. After staying by his side for those 3 days, Elizabeth finally decided to go home, take a shower, and sleep for a little while. As much as she hated him, there was something inside of her that compelled her to stay by his side. Maybe she felt sorry, maybe she wanted to know why he had tried to take his own life. Either way, she just felt like she needed to be there when he woke up.   
  
She continued to walk down the hall to his room in the ICU. She stopped  
by the desk and without saying a word, the nurse knew exactly what   
Elizabeth was going to ask. "No, he has not changed his condition. Yes,  
the doctor has been here to see him, and yes, you may go in and see   
him." The nurse said. Elizabeth walked through the doors to his room.   
He lay there, the same as he had been for 3 days. Frail, lifeless,   
pale...god, she hated looking at him. The thought of even why he would   
do this to himself was beyond her belief. She had thought about this   
long and hard for the past 3 days as she sat by his side. She couldn't   
help but feel guilty that she was a slight part of why he did this.   
Nobody ever got to know him, nobody acknowledged him as a person,   
nobody bothered to take the time to care about him. She continued to   
think, but in the middle of her thoughts, she felt a hand squeeze hers.   
She looked up to see Robert slowly opening his eyes. She immediately   
hit the call button, to notify the nurse that he had awakened. He   
looked at her and panicked. "No, Robert, they had to intubate you to   
help you breathe. Don't talk." she said to him, trying to calm him down.  
When he realized what was going on, he settled back down, defeated.   
Elizabeth noticed his jaw muscles tighten, and his hand withdraw from   
hers. He continued to stare to the opposite end of the room, not even   
looking at Elizabeth. She figured that he was probably mad about   
something, so she went to grab a pen and paper. She tapped him on the   
shoulder, and he just glared at her. She handed him the paper and he   
grabbed it away from her, knowing exactly what to write. She took the   
paper from him when he was done, and she could barely read what he had   
somehow managed to scribble out. She was horrified by what she read:   
" Why did you save me?" Robert glared at her, his eyebrows   
furrowed, as he did when he was upset. "I didn't save you Robert, Kerry  
and the rest of the ER did. And they saved you because they cared."   
Elizabeth said, just the slightest bit upset at his selfishness. Robert  
just rolled his eyes. Before she could say anything back to him, the   
nurse showed up in the doorway. "Ah, Dr. Romano, your awake. Let's see   
if we can't get that tube out of your throat." she said before walking   
over to him. "Take a deep breath in......and blow out...." she said,   
helping to take the tube out. After coughing for a few seconds, Robert   
regained his state again. Elizabeth pulled the nurse aside and said two  
words: "Page psych.". The nurse left to go fufill Elizabeth's orders,   
and Elizabeth returned to his side, determined to figure out why Robert  
had tried to pull such a stunt. Robert continued to stare off into the   
other side of the room, his hands crossed. "Why did you do it,   
Robert?" Elizabeth asked. He just turned toward her and glared.   
"Why would do such a thing? Did you think that it would honestly make   
things better?" Robert continued to glare at her, choosing not to say   
a word to Elizabeth. "Dammit Robert, how could you do this to everyone?  
Do you know how hard Kerry and everyone else worked to save you? The   
ER hasn't been the same since this happened. Everyone is so worried   
about you that they haven't slept for hours, they've been constantly   
checking up on you, and they spent endless hours worrying about you.   
And this is how you repay us?" Elizabeth said, starting to get mad.   
She knew that Robert had always been arrogant, but she never thought he  
would take it to this level. "Nevermind Robert, we'll just try this   
again. After all, I've only spent the past 3 days by your bedside,   
worrying about your condition, completely abandoning my plans...it's   
not like I cared about you. " Elizabeth said, just sick and fed up, as   
she headed for the door. "Nobody cared." Robert said as she headed for   
the door. "What?" Elizabeth said, turning around, surprised that he   
even said anything. "Nobody cared." he said once again. "Who didn't   
care, Robert?" Elizabeth asked, determined to find out what was going   
on. "Nobody cared about my Elizabeth. I was tired of being by myself   
and being neglected. Nobody cared about me and everybody hates me. I   
figured everyone would be better off if I was gone." he said, avoiding   
Elizabeths' gaze. "That's not true, Robert..." Elizabeth started.   
"Yes it is!!!!!!!!" Robert said, raising his voice to almost a yell.   
The nurse stepped into the room once again, along with another nurse.   
She stepped in front of them both. "Since this was an apparent suicide   
attempt, once the patient has regained conciousness, we must place them  
under strict observatory watch in the pyschiatric ward. They will be   
monitered 24 hours a day for one day, and depending upon the attitude,   
will be judged from there." the nurse said. Usually Robert would have   
put up a fit to have to be placed in the pysch. ward, but he continued   
to lay there as the nurses propped the wheels up to transport him to   
the next floor. Tears started to fall down Elizabeths' cheeks. She   
felt sorry that he had deteriorated this much. "I'm sorry, Robert."   
she said as he was being rolled out. "So am I, Elizabeth, so am I."   
He said before being wheeled down the hall.  
___________________________________________________________  
  
TBC: What's going to happen next? What will Elizabeth continue to find   
out about Robert's past? What will happen while he's under "Psych.   
watch"??? Let me know what you think of the story and possibly what   
direction you want it to go in!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!! 


	4. And Then He Wept

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own any of this. So, don't sue me!!!  
  
Author's Note: The "stories/news releases" are fake. I just made them   
up. So, don't sue me for that either.  
  
_________________________________________________________  
  
3 days later (after Ch. 2 happened)  
  
Elizabeth sat down at the desk in her office. She had just gotten done   
with an apendectomy, and she had a whole crapload of paperwork to do.   
As she looked at the mail and mesages on her desk, a packet of papers   
caught her eye. It was from Dr. Waliz. The note on the envelope said:   
"Re: Robert Romano". Elizabeth ripped open the envelope. Attatched to   
a piece of paper was a sticky note. It read: "Elizabeth: I found this   
after researching the newspapers from Robert's hometown. This might   
explain why he tried to commit suicide. I tried talking with him but I   
got nothing out of him. I'll try again later, and get back to you when   
I get back from my shift. Thanks, Dr. Waliz." Elizabeth picked up the   
photocopied newspaper article and began to read:  
  
Late-Night Car Crash Kills Two; Leaves Child Parentless  
  
(UPI)- Richmond, Virginia A late-night car crash left two dead and   
two others injured on Saturday evening. Nathan Romano and his wife,   
Jane, were killed when their car was involved in a head-on collision   
with a truck. Their son, Robert, was in the backseat at the time of the  
accident. He was taken to St. Avera's Hospital and is listed in   
critical condition at the time of this paper's publication. The driver   
of the other vehicle was also taken to St. Avera's Hospital and was   
treated and released later on that evening.  
  
Following an autopsy this afternoon, the county coroner concluded that   
the accident was most likely alcohol related. Nathan Romano's blood   
alcohol level was recorded at .10. The county coroner also quoted about  
further findings of the autopsy. "I found multiple fractured and   
bruised bones on Mrs. Romano after examining her. There is also a quite  
extensive medical history for this sort of injury on file here at the   
hospital on both her and her son. Obviously, this would suggest that   
this is also a domestic abuse case. Unfortunately, we may never know."  
  
Since both parents are deceased and no relatives have been found yet,   
the young boy is now under the custody of the Virginia State Social   
Services. Unless a relative comes forth to claim custody of him, he   
will be placed into foster care until further notice.  
  
Funeral services for Nathan and Jane will be held tomorrow at   
Resurection Church at 2:30 p.m.  
  
  
Elizabeth was stunned. She had never known anything like this had   
happened to Robert. First his parents die, and then they come to the   
conclusion that his father beat both Robert and his mother. No wonder   
he felt so alone. She stood up out of her desk, and walked out of her   
office. She saw Shirley looking at her strange and she said "Oh,   
Shirley, I'm going to go down to talk to Robert. I'll be back in awhile.  
" Elizabeth said, walking past the nurses' station. "Oh...tell him   
hello for me, okay?" Shirley said. Usually Shirley could have cared   
less about Romano, but much like the rest of the hospital staff, she   
somehow felt guilty for the guy.   
  
Once Elizabeth got to Robert's room, she knocked on the door. "What?" A  
sleepy Robert yelled as Elizabeth entered the room. "Oh God, Robert.   
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll come back later..."   
Elizabeth said, feeling sorry that she had interupted on the one chance  
he was actually sleeping. The anti-depressants had been keeping him   
awake and so had his nightmares. "No, Elizabeth!" Robert yelled,   
suddenly awake. "Please....please stay." he pleaded. "Well, only if you  
want me to." Elizabeth said, taking a seat on the other bed in the   
room. She noticed that he hadn't touched his lunch. "Wow...I never   
realized how bad the cafeteria food is until now." Elizabeth said,   
trying to lighten the mood. "Yea, I was hoping you could help me break   
the rules, and run out to McDonald's or somewhere to get me some "real"  
food." Robert said, smirking at Elizabeth. Elizabeth just burst out   
laughing. "Hey, I'm not Chief of Staff for nothing." Robert said,   
making Elizabeth laugh even harder. From what Elizabeth could tell, he   
seemed better than three days ago. He actually smiled, he talked, he   
seemed "human" again. "So, really...why are you down here, Elizabeth? I  
know that you wouldn't just "come and visit" me for no reason. There's   
got to be a reason why you came down here. Spill everything." Robert   
said, his dark brown eyes piercing hers. "No, nothing, Robert...  
honestly...I...." Elizabeth said, stammering over herself. "Elizabeth,   
really...if you want to know something ask. Stop beating around the   
bush, just ask. Whatever it is you want to know, it can't be worse than  
that damn Dr. Waliz. The only thing he's good for is degrading people.   
Remind me to fire him when I get back to work." Robert said, smirking   
at the last comment. "Well, ummm..." Elizabeth said. Oh what the hell,   
she was curious so she was going to ask. "I read somewhere about your   
parents and I wondered if that had anything to do with you and the   
whole suicide thing." Elizabeth said quickly in one breath. Robert just  
sat back, stunned by the question. After a moment, he replied "How did   
you know about my parents?", saying it in almost a barely audible   
whisper. Elizabeth just shrugged, wanting him to answer her. Robert put  
his hand to his bald head and rubbed his temples, sighing deeply. He   
got up and walked across the room, sitting right next to Elizabeth. He   
looked straight into her eyes. "If I tell you, you've got to keep this   
to yourself. I don't want people knowing about my past and feeling   
sorry for me. Please, if I tell you, I have to be able to trust you."   
Robert said, a sad expression on his face the whole time. Elizabeth   
looked back into the big, brown eyes that looked intently at her. "I   
promise that whatever you tell me will not be told ever again. That's a  
promise, Robert." Elizabeth said, whispering. Robert nodded and closed   
his eyes and began talking. "I remember that night like last night. I   
was at home playing. Mom was cooking dinner and Dad wasn't home yet. It  
was snowing really hard, a blizzard, and it was about 8 o'clock in the   
evening. I remember Dad stumbling through the door, yelling at Mom the  
whole way there. He was really really drunk. He was always drunk, but   
that night it was at an all-time high. He started arguing with my mom   
and yelling at her, calling her stupid. I walked into the kitchen   
because I didn't want him to yell anymore. I grabbed hold of his arm   
and told him to leave her alone. His fist came flying back and hit me   
square in the jaw, slamming me back into the wall." Robert said, as his  
eyes stared off into the distance, forcing him to remember the horrid   
memory. As he said that last sentance, he brought his hand up to his   
jaw, as if feeling the pain all over again. Then he continued. "He   
yelled at us and beat me and mom some more. We all then got into the   
car, Dad was driving, yelling the whole way. I didn't know where we   
were going. It was late, and the weather was bad. Dad was really mad.   
I remember Mom seeing headlights and screaming. There was a truck in   
front of us, and it hit us, and that's all I remember before waking up   
in the hospital." Robert said, swallowing hard. Elizabeth was horrified  
. Tears began to slide down her cheeks, as they had been all week. "And  
is that why you...why you...tried...commit....???" Elizabeth said,   
whispering and crying at the same time. "I was alone for so long.   
Nobody understood me. Nobody loved me. I didn't want to be like my dad.  
I didn't want people to hate me. I ruined it here. I don't deserve to   
be here. I just wanted it to be over with." Robert said, the look on   
his face just breaking her heart. He was trying so hard to hide back   
tears. He was after all, Robert Romano: Chief of Staff. If he cried,   
he'd never hear the end of it. If he cried it meant he was weak, that's  
what his dad had taught him. Totally throwing what his dad said out the  
window, the tears that had been built up for *so* long finally began   
spilling over. He began to sob, hugging Elizabeth. Elizabeth hugged him  
back, unable to hold back the sobs that she felt inside. Through her   
tears, she whispered: "It'll get better. Give it time, it'll get better  
. I promise. I'll make it better." And with that, they both sat there   
and continued to cry.  
  
__________________________________________________  
While I KNOW that Robert would NEVER cry, I PROMISE this won't happen   
again. I just need a "tie-in" chapter. The story gets better, I PROMISE  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!! 


	5. I Saw Her Standing There

Okay, I'm just rolling out the chapters, huh? This might be the last   
chapter for awhile, I'm not sure what to do with this after this   
chapter. So, enjoy it!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING (major bummer), So don't sue me! I'm   
just borrowing a few characters for awhile.  
  
Author's Note: I'm SO sorry about the last chapter (Chapter 4). I don't  
know what compelled me to write that. I swear it's the chemotherapy, I   
swear...  
  
Chapter 5 _______________________________________________  
  
Elizabeth was exhausted. She had finally left Robert's room after he   
fell asleep. The poor guy was exhausted. It had been a difficult   
recovery, that's for sure. Not only was HE exhausted, but she was as   
well. She sat, slumped in her chair at her desk in her office, holding   
her head, that threatened a headache. She was exhausted and had so   
many things running around her head. Robert's problems that he had just  
dumped onto her had become somewhat of a burden, an unwelcome one at   
that. She was sick of visiting him and hearing about his problems. She   
didn't need any of that. If Robert wanted somebody to care, he could   
atleast ask instead of dragging her into it. An idea popped into her   
head. She flipped through the index cards and picked up the phone. She   
dialed the number quickly hoping that he would be around. She heard the  
person on the other line say, "Chicago Mental Institution." "Yes, I'd   
like to talk to Dr. Adams, please. This is Dr. Corday over at Cook   
County General Hospital." "I'll patch you through to Dr. Adams. Wait   
one moment." The receptionist said. Elizabeth grinned. Finally she   
could get Robert out of her hair.......  
________________________________________________  
Susan Lewis ran up the stairs, making it up to the "psychiatric ward   
floor". She was on a mission. She felt guilty that Robert had actually   
attempted suicide, so she decided to risk all of her courage and   
bravery and actually go visit him. She didn't know him very well, but   
what she knew of him she didn't like a whole lot. He seemed to use his   
authority position an awful lot, and lots of people feared the days   
where he would appear in the ER, his voice booming and yelling at   
people. But now, she felt guilty that he had actually been driven over   
the edge that far. She looked up and found Room 401A, Robert's room.   
Without knocking, she tiptoed in. She looked at his bed to see him   
sleeping. "That figures" she thought to herself. He looked exhausted.   
His eyes were puffy, his skin pale almost matching the white bed sheets.  
His lunch was left untouched and the room looked to be in a disarray.   
She took a pen out of her lab coat and a slip of paper. She leaned over  
and wrote a quick note before turning out the door and going back down   
to the ER:  
  
Robert,   
Sorry I missed you. Thought I'd stop in quick to see how you were. Hope  
your feeling better. I'll stop by later if that's okay. Page me if you   
need anything.   
Susan  
________________________________________________  
Robert woke with a startle. He had been having the same nightmares over  
and over again. The same "car crash" scenario, where he'd wake up   
completely drenched in sweat, afraid that it was happening all over   
again. As he woke, the note laying on his bed fluttered to the ground.   
He got out of bed and picked the note up and read it. It was from Susan  
Lewis, down in the ER. "That's strange." he thought to himself. He   
didn't know Susan very well, but from what he had heard she was an   
excellent doctor. "Pretty darn cute, too..." Robert thought to himself.  
As he read the note over and over, the nurse stopped in his room. "Time  
for your meds, Dr. Romano." she announced, handing him the meds to be   
taken. "I also need your consent to be transferred, Dr. Romano." she   
announced, looking at the floor, quite uncomfortably. "TRANSFER???" he   
boomed. "WHERE???" he demanded. "Chicago Mental Institution". the nurse said, avoiding his glare. "What the hell? MENTAL INSTITUTION, like HELL!!!" he boomed. "What smart ass decided to put me there???" he yelled. "Elizabeth Corday". the nurse said plainly. "That bitch" Robert muttered under his breath. After he had trusted her with everything in his life, she turned right around and decided to put him into the loony bin. Yes, he had attempted suicide, but he was being treated for that at the hospital here, not in some "mental institution". That was bullshit. Like hell he would consent to being sent there. The nurse left the room after Robert finished taking his meds. Then his phone beside the bed rang. He picked up, finding it strange that someone would be calling him. "Hello?" he answered, quite annoyed. "Hello, Dr. Romano. This is Dr. Adams. I thought I'd talk to you. I heard from Dr. Corday that your having some guilt problems about your parent's accident from your childhood, and having some issues about being abused as a child. She felt it was best to have you put under the  
care of the psychiatrists here at the Chicago Mental Institutuion." Dr.  
Adams said. "I will NOT be put under the care of the doctors over there.  
I am not having problems dealing with my guilt. I'm just fine right now.  
And I refuse to ever subject myself to your bullshit." Robert said,   
slamming the phone down. His next mission was to call down to the ER.   
He punched the numbers into the phone. Then he hung up and picked it   
back up again. He paged Dr. Corday. They were going to have a meeting.  
________________________________________________  
Susan Lewis was down in the ER, having just returned from visiting Dr.   
Romano, if you could call it that. She was treating "Stan-the-Can", the  
veteran patient. She gave him a new change of clothes and some food   
stamps and sent him on his way. Just as she slumped into the chair at   
the admit desk, he pager went off. "Dammit..." she thought. She had 5   
minutes left in her shift and just now she was being paged. She looked   
at the number and instantly recognized it. She was confused. She   
couldn't believe that he had actually taken her offer seriously. The   
number on her pager was Dr. Romano's number...She got up out of the   
chair, and ran upstairs to his room.  
________________________________________________  
Elizabeth Corday walked around the corner, having been paged by Dr.   
Romano. She honestly didn't have a clue why she was being paged. Sure,   
she had recomended to Dr. Adams to put Dr. Romano into the hospital,   
but surely he wouldn't actually try and talk to him about it. As she   
rounded the corner, she bumped into Susan Lewis from the ER. "Hey   
Elizabeth. What are you doing here?" Susan asked as they approached   
Robert's room. "Robert paged me in. And what are you doing here?"   
Elizabeth asked. "Oh, same here. He paged me up. Wonder what he wants." They both entered the room to see Robert fully dressed in street clothes. His bed was made and his stuff was packed. He was sitting on the bed waiting for the both of them, and he looked pissed. "Elizabeth, what a joy to have you. Sit down, and close the door. We wouldn't want people to hear me yelling at you." he said coldly to Elizabeth, his eyes shooting her daggers. "What on Earth are you talking about, Robert?" Elizabeth asked, shutting the door. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe a MENTAL INSTITUTION!!!" Robert yelled. Those two words hit Susan like a ton of bricks. Now it was starting to make sense. Lizzie was trying to put Robert into a mental hospital, and Robert had found out. But she still didn't know what that had to do with her. "Robert, really...I, let me explain. I thought you needed more help than what we here at County were providing you, and I...uh..." Lizzie stammered. "Shut the hell up, Elizabeth!" Robert boomed. "When I told you WHY I tried to commit suicide, I trusted you. Obviously that was bad   
judgement on my part." Robert said. "I REFUSE to be transfered there." "You can REFUSE treatment, Robert. You need the signature of atleast one other doctor to refuse treatment at the mental institution." Elizabeth said, handing Robert the "refusal form". Robert signed it and handed it to Susan. Elizabeth dropped her jaw. Did Susan really think that Robert didn't need help? Both Lizzie and Robert looked at Susan, waiting for her to decide what to do. "What do I do?" Susan thought to herself, panicking. But then she looked into Robert's pleading eyes and came to her decision. "Robert does not AT ALL need to be transfered to a mental institution. He has recovered nicely here at County, and under my best medical opinion does he show ANY signs what-so-ever for meeting the criteria to be transferred there." Susan yelled at Elizabeth, her head held confidently. Damn, that felt to good, she thought to herself. Elizabeth stared at Susan as she signed the "refusal form". What a slap in the face, she thought. What a bitch. "Dr. Corday, I feel it is in my best opinion for me, as Chief of   
Staff for you to be suspended temporarily until you can gain your   
sanity back. You've obviously lost all taste of good judgement. Your   
suspension begins now until further notice." Robert said, with the   
slightest grin on his face. "You bastard." Elizabeth muttered before   
stomping out of the room. That left Robert and Susan in his room   
together. Susan blushed slightly. "Get a hold of yourself, it's just Dr.  
Romano." She thought to herself. Robert motioned her to take a seat   
next to him. She looked up at him, and saw him smiling, his warm,   
chocolate eyes staring back into hers. "Thank you." he said in a soft   
whisper. Susan nodded her head, being totally dumfounded. A shiver ran   
down her spine. "What's coming over me?" she thought to herself. After   
looking into his eyes for a moment, he leaned over, his velvety lips   
touching hers, and then she..........  
________________________________________________  
Oh no! A cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!! aaaaggghhh!!! But, I had to do it sooner  
or later, right??? Well, what did you think of this chapter? Better   
than the last? Worse? Mediocre???? PLEASE   
R AND R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS!!!! 


	6. I'm Going To Be Okay

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING (major bummer), So don't sue me! I'm   
just borrowing a few characters for awhile.  
  
Second note: Here's my dedication:  
  
Hugmonster: YOU ROCK! Yea! This one's for you! We'll be Romano's #1   
fans together, k? :)  
  
Rocekt Launcher: You genius you! You just keep rolling out these   
chapters! Are you sure you aren't a famous published author? Sheesh...  
your story is the best fanfic I've ever read! Please keep up!!!   
PLEASE!!!!!!  
  
November: Thank you for the awesome review! It really made my day!  
I hope you like this one as much as you seemed to like the previous   
one!!  
  
The "TWoP Gang": I LOVE YOU GUYS! :) Your the greatest! Thanks for all  
the support and inspiration! Muah!  
  
The "ERudition Gang": You guys are the BEST! This whole entire fanfic   
is for all of you guys! Thanks SO much for everything!   
  
Okay, I think I'm done. I'll shut up: here's the story:cliffhanger from  
the last chapter...  
  
___________________________________________________________  
And then she...kissed him back. Never before had she even thought   
about doing something as crazy as this, but this felt so...right. It   
was hard to explain. It just felt right.   
  
Their kiss ended and they both pulled away. Susan looked down to avoid   
his stare, but she felt his hand on her jaw as he pulled her face up to  
eye level. She looked into his eyes, searching...for anything. She was   
so dumbfounded by what she had just done that she found herself   
searching for words. But instead he began to speak. "Thank you." he   
whispered quietly. "For what?" she said. "Being here." he replied, his   
face breaking into a warm smile. He stood up, grabbing his bag off of   
the bed in the process. "Your really going to leave AMA?" Susan said.   
"Yes." Robert said, standing straight up and looking at her. "Oh."   
Susan said, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice. She looked   
down at her watch and noticed that her shift had just ended. She stood   
up and walked over to him. "Well, anyways, my...uh...shift just ended   
and uh...I had...uh...better get going..." Susan stammered, as she   
looked into his eyes, shifting her weight uncomfortably. As she turned   
to walk out the door, she felt his hand upon her arm as he turned her   
around. "No." he said. "Come with me. Don't leave." he said. "Okay."   
Susan said, not believing what she had just done. She barely knew (or   
liked) this guy but all the sudden, she felt herself falling for him.   
And she was already agreeing to go with him? What was wrong with her?   
Susan just shook her head as she followed him down the hall. They rode   
silently in the elevator down to the parking garage. Once in the   
garage, Susan shivered. It was October, and she didn't have a coat on.   
Seeing that she was cold, Robert threw his arm around her, looked at   
her, and smiled. Sensing the uncomfortable silence, Susan attempted to   
lighten the mood. "Where exactly are we going? I'm still decked out in   
my scrubs, I'm not exactly "fancy dinner" material." Susan said, half   
jokingly. "Don't worry about it. Where we are going, it won't matter."   
Robert said, opening the passenger side door to his car as she got in.   
Soon, he was in the car, starting it, and leaving the parking lot.   
They headed out from Chicago, heading into the country. Susan thought   
it was strange, but just continued to go along with it. He took a right  
turn on one of the county roads, and then a few miles later, they found  
themselves at the gates of a cemetary. Susan wrinkled her brow in   
confusion. As they got out, Robert just walked right through the gates,  
as if nothing seemed to bother him. "Uh...Robert? Can I ask what we're   
doing here? This place is kind of depressing, and with you trying to   
umm...commit...um...this isn't exactly the most welcoming place." Susan  
said. Robert turned around to her and said "Come here." "Why?" Susan   
asked as she walked over to where he was standing. "Just come here."   
Susan joined his side as they looked down at the two graves that Robert  
was standing in front of. "Nathan Romano" read the first grave and   
"Jane Romano" read the second. There was huge boquet of roses on top of  
both of their graves. Robert stared blankly for a second at the graves   
before turning to Susan. "My parents...these are my parents. They died   
when I was 8. I was in foster care until I turned 18. My father used to  
beat me, and nobody bothered to try and stop him, because nobody cared.  
Just like I thought that nobody cared about me 2 weeks ago when I tried  
to kill myself. But now, looking at my parents' graves...I want to   
live. I want to live, Susan. I want to prove that no matter how bad it   
gets, I'm still going to get through it. I want to live, Susan." Robert  
said, his face displaying a look of sheer determination. "What do I   
have to do with that, Robert?" Susan asked, innocently. "Everything.   
Can you help me, Susan? Please?" Robert asked. "Yes, of course." Susan   
said, nodding her head. "Okay" Robert whispered. With that, he put his   
arm around her and they walked out of the cemetary back to his car. I'm  
going to make it, Robert thought. I'm going to prove to everyone that I  
am stronger than ever, now. I'm going to make it, because I have Susan.  
I'm going to be okay, he thought, smiling to himself. "I'm going to be   
okay."........ 


	7. Caught RedHanded

Author's Note: I'm SO sorry for those of you who have been waiting for   
a new chapter (not many of you have actually been looking forward to a   
new chapter, I bet). I was involved in a severe traffic accident a   
couple of weeks ago and spent the past couple weeks recovering, and I   
just really haven't had that much time on my hands to post another   
chapter. So, thanks for being patient!!!!!   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters...blah blah blah...blah blah   
blah...Characters property of NBC/John Wells/Michael Chrichton/whoever   
the hell else...blah blah blah...just don't sue me....blah blah blah...  
you get the picture...blah blah blah....  
  
Dedication: To Hugmonster (ERudition)/PaulMcCraneFan(TWoP forums) You   
rock!!!!   
________________________________________________  
  
Susan shook the snow off of her as she walked into the ER ambulance bay.  
It was November and the temperatures had plummeted and it had snowed   
earlier that morning, and it seemed that winter had finally taken over.  
She set her keys, gloves, and her coat in her locker as she grabbed her  
briefcase with charts and her cappuchino. If she was lucky she wouldn't  
have any immediate patients to see and that way she could catch up on   
her dictations and other paperwork. As she walked out to the admit desk  
, she saw Chuni, Lily, Randi, and Haleh gathered in a circle whispering.  
As soon as she spotted the group, they immediately stopped talking and   
everyone but Randi headed off in different directions.   
  
"Hey, Dr. Lewis! So, umm...who are the flowers from?" Randi said as she  
looked at Susan curiously, twirling her gum in her fingers.   
  
"What flowers?" Susan asked.  
  
"Duh! The huge boquet right over there." Randi said, pointing the the,   
indeed, huge boquet of an assortment of beautiful flowers on the other   
side of the desk. Susan wrinkled her forehead, wondering who the   
beautiful flowers could possibly be from. She picked up the card and   
began reading:   
  
"After your shift gets over, meet me at Hilden Park by the water   
fountain. I've got something special planned for someone special in my   
life...you.........."  
  
The card wasn't signed, but Susan had a vague thought about who it   
might be. And if she so much as told Randi who she thought they were   
from, she would be laughed right out of the place.   
  
"So, Susan...spill the beans! Who are they from?" Randi said, still   
twirling her gum through her fingers, her eyes wide as she looked at   
Susan.  
  
"Well, they're from my secret admirer." Susan said, with a smirk, as   
she grabbed her charts and left the desk, leaving Randi with a confused  
expression on her face.  
________________________________________________  
  
Susan's shift had gone by terribly fast. A 10 car pile-up on the   
freeway sent an assortment of injured people to County, and for the   
majority of her shift she was juggling patients around. As she glanced  
at the clock, she noticed her shift had been over for 5 minutes. "Oh   
shit..." Susan muttered under her breath. She quickly signed out all of  
her charts, made the necessary arrangements, and ran to her locker.   
She ran a brush through her hair, although she doubted it would do much.  
As she pulled her coat on quickly, she dropped her stuff off at the   
desk. Randi, Haleh, Chuni and Lily were all gathered around waiting for  
her. "Go get 'em." Chuni said, walking away. "Dr. Lewis has a hot   
date!" Haleh said, mockingly. Susan just stood there, totally   
embarrased. "Well! What are standing here for, Susan? Go get em!" Randi  
said, pushing Susan out the door. Soon Susan found herself in her car,   
driving toward Hilden Park. Once parked, she sprayed herself with some   
perfume that she kept in her briefcase. After checking in her rearview   
mirror and noticing that her makeup had worn away and given her not the  
most flattering look, she got out of the car and threw her mittens on.   
She began walking toward the water fountain. By the water fountain,   
there was only one person standing there. The person there, sensing   
footsteps behind him, turned around. As she hoped and suspected, it   
was....Robert. He was wearing a pair of nice dress slacks, a polo   
shirt, and a very nice jacket. Realizing that she was staring, she   
looked up and smiled, meeting his warm, brown eyes.   
  
"Susan, you look..." Robert said, shaking his head.  
  
"Like hell!!!!" Susan said, as they both burst out laughing, as they   
both took a seat at the nearest park bench.   
  
"So, how have you been holding up?" Susan asked.   
  
"You know, your the first person to ask me that. Honestly, I've been   
great. Although I must admit that I don't mind not having to get up at   
3 A.M. to operate on some blockhead that blew his appendix." Robert   
said, with a smirk. They both paused, not really knowing what to say.   
"So, your probably wondering why I wanted you to come here, right?"   
Robert asked, after a minute.   
  
"Yea, I'm just a little bit curious." Susan said. "You wouldn't believe  
the razzing that I got from the girls at work. They still don't know   
who sent those flowers." Susan said, laughing.   
  
Robert smiled at the last comment."No, actually I wanted you to meet me   
here so that I could show you my appreciation for everything you've   
done in the past couple weeks. It hasn't been easy for anybody involved  
in this, but you don't understand how you've helped me." Robert said,   
his face in a very serious, yet somehow warm, gesture. "So, let me make  
it up to you. Come on, let's go." Robert said, standing up, helping   
Susan up to her feet.   
  
"But! Where are we going? Have you looked at me lately? I'm in no   
fashion to go anywhere!" Susan said, objecting to his comments.   
  
"No, you look beautiful. Just come with me." Robert said, taking her   
hand as they walked over to his car.   
  
Susan found herself unable to stop smiling as they drove to the other   
end of town. Not a word was said between the two, yet there was a quite  
distinct attraction sensible. After a few minutes, Robert stopped the   
car at a resturant on the east side of Chicago. Susan had never been to  
the resturant before, much less know what it was even called. Susan   
looked down at her outfit. Scrub bottoms and an old college sorority   
t-shirt. Hmm...not the best. Susan just shrugged as Robert grabbed her   
arm and pulled her into the bar. Once inside, the atmosphere was quite   
apparent. There was a pool table in back, big screen tv's, a bar, a   
resturant nook, and just lots of people. Very relaxed and easy going...  
just what she needed after a day like today. Robert guided her over to  
a table in the resturant nook of the bar and they sat down. Robert   
seemed to know quite a lot of people that were at the bar, because he   
nodded and greeted almost everyone that they passed, and they greeted   
him like an old buddy. Susan thought that was surprising, because she   
was sure that Robert wasn't "that" kind of person, or atleast one to be  
caught dead at a bar. As they both sat down, Robert just looked at her   
with a smile on his face.   
  
"So, what do you think?" Robert said, grinning.  
  
"This is great! This is just what I need after a day like today! How'd   
you guess?" Susan said.  
  
"I'm offended, Susan. I am a doctor, too, you know. Contrary to what   
people at work say, I sometimes get stressed out. I guess I come here   
as my, "release", you could say. Nothing like getting plastered after   
being in surgery all day." Robert said, with a grin after saying the   
last phrase.   
  
"I'm all for that tonight!" Susan said with a laugh.   
  
Soon, a waitress appeared and Robert ordered both drinks and dinner for  
himself and Susan.  
  
While he ordered, Susan sat there in amazement. She thought she had   
Robert figured out, from what she had seen at work. But she was   
learning new things about him all the time. "Maybe today won't be such   
a bad day after all..." Susan thought....  
  
Meanwhile on the other side of the bar,  
  
Chuni, Haleh, and Lily were playing a game of pool, getting drunker and  
drunker with every round...  
  
"Nothing like getting drunk with your girlfriends after a long day at   
work." Chuni said, raising her 3rd margaurita in the air.   
  
"Yea, too bad Jing-Mei and Randi couldn't make it." Lily said.  
  
"Wow...this place is pretty busy. Of course I don't blame anybody, this  
place is great, Chuni. How'd you hear about this place?" Haleh said,   
scanning the people in the bar.  
  
"Oh, I just showed up one night. The waiters at the bar are really hot,  
so I just kept coming back. And I guess it just stuck, I really like   
this place." Chuni said, between drinks.  
  
"Hey! I see Susan!!!!" Lily yelled out.  
  
"Yea. I see her too! Who is that she's with?" Chuni said, trying to   
find out who Susan's "mystery man" was.   
  
Haleh, who was busy drinking her diet Coke (since she lost over 100   
pounds, she doesn't drink anymore). She nearly spit her drink all over   
Lily and Chuni. "Oh my gosh!!! It's Dr. Romano!!! He's sitting with   
Susan!!!!!!!!!!" she said, her eyes huge.  
  
"What? Dr. Romano???" Lily said, setting her drink down to have a look   
herself.   
  
"DR. ROMANO????" Chuni said, spitting her drink all over the guy next   
to them, clearly not caring about him. "What? Susan? and Dr. Romano? Do  
you think they're....going out???" Chuni said, peering over the counter  
at Dr. Romano and Susan, who were busy eating dinner and laughing,   
chatting the whole time.   
  
"Wait! Remember the flowers? Who else do you think those were from?   
Duh! It's Dr. Romano!!! How could we not have seen it?" Haleh said,   
having figured out the connection between Susan, the flowers, and her   
"secret admirer".   
  
"Ooooo...have we got some good gossip to tell Randi and Jing-Mei at   
work tomorrow!" Chuni said, raising her glass in a toast.   
  
All three of them raised their glasses, thinking of ways to spread   
their recent discovery of Susan's "secret" relationship around work........  
________________________________________________  
  
So, what's going to happen at work, now that the cat is out of the   
bag??? Stay tuned for the next chapter (I promise I'll work on getting   
it posted, since I'm such a lazy pile and I tend to procrastinate a   
lot...)  
  
Anyways, if your still reading this piece-of-crap story, thanks for   
sticking it through!!! 


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